Last Friday, Disney sent out notifications to annual passholders who had registered for a chance to attend a preview of the new Cars Land in Disney California Adventure park before it officially opens on June 15. If you received the version that read, "Unfortunately, you were not selected to participate in the June 11, 2012 preview," you're in really good company. Sources tell us the one-day preview had room for fewer than 10,000 people—just a tiny number of the passholders who registered; the number works out to less than 1 percent of the passholder population. The other 99 percent have the option of buying tickets to one of the charity previews scheduled for June 9 and 10, or waiting until June 15 to see the new land when it opens to the public.

The flood of rejection letters did little to boost passholder morale, coming as it did just two weeks after Disney raised prices on some annual passes as much as 35 percent, and arriving the same day Walt Disney World announced its own price increase. Disney has also been heavily promoting the two charity preview events, with tickets running up to $500 per person, leading some to claim the company is just trying to make passholders pay even more. A loophole in the rules that allowed those who were selected for the preview to attend even if their annual pass expired after the contest began upset even more passholders.

As Disney launches a marketing campaign with the tag line, "The Happiest Place on Earth Just Got Happier," it seems that many of the rumored one million passholders are anything but. Still, I'll argue that Disney faced an impossible task in trying to create a preview system that could make anyone happy.

With an estimated hourly capacity of 1500 riders per hour, Disney would need to open Radiator Springs Racers for nearly 700 hours to give every passholder just one ride on the new attraction. Mater's Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi's Flying Tires have even lower capacity; Disney would need 70 days of non-stop, round-the-clock previews to give every passholder a chance to ride either new attraction. Even if you were to eliminate passholders who are too young, too short, too pregnant, too far away or too busy to attend a preview, you're still left with far more passholders than could be accommodated in the three days open for Cars Land previews.

In the end, Disney decided to donate two of those preview days to local charities, selling tickets to an exclusive preview and announcing a $500,000 contribution to Children's Hospital Orange County and Anaheim Community Foundation. I'll go on record: Disney really mishandled this one—but not for the reason you think. In its announcements, Disney never directly linked the preview ticket purchases to the donation, but I've confirmed through several sources that the entire price of the preview event tickets is going to the two charities. In other words, there are $500,000 worth of tickets available (if you do some math, you can get a rough idea of how many people will attend each session). If Disney does not sell all of the tickets, they will still make the full $500,000 donation. Not only is Disney not making any money on this, but they are on the hook for any unsold tickets.

Some have pointed out that Disney—not the people purchasing the charity preview tickets—get to claim the tax write-off for the donation. Fair enough. Personally, the lost tax deduction on a $50 ticket isn't enough for me to boycott the event, but I understand the complaint. Still, I have no objection to Disney using the opening of Cars Land as a way to generate a half million dollars in donations for two outstanding local charities, regardless of who gets the tax break.

Of course, all this left just one day for "free" passholder previews—clearly not enough to let even a tiny fraction of those who entered the sweepstakes win. Even if Disney had held three days of passholder previews, would the 97 percent who still didn't get picked be any happier? If nothing else, this event may have finally proven to Disney managers that annual passholders previews of new attractions are no longer feasible.

If you didn't get selected for the June 11 preview, you still have an option to see Cars Land four days a week before DCA opens to the general public courtesy of the new Annual Passholder Early Entry program. DCA will open for passholders one hour early most Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays though Sept. 13, and every passholder can register for one date during the promotion. As of this writing, only the June 19 and 24 dates were full; all other dates were wide open.

Finally, if you just can't wait until June 15 and you're interested in the charity previews, tickets are still available to all sessions, including the $50 morning and afternoon sessions, the $75 evening session, and the $500 event that includes dinner at the new Carthay Circle Theater. Last week, Disney released new details of these events, announcing that the June 9 dinner will feature representatives from the Walt Disney Family Museum along with a member of the Disney family, and the June 10 dinner will feature John Lasseter.

Did you get selected for the passholder preview? Do you think Disney handled this event well? If not, let us know in the comments below how you would have organized a preview for a million passholders.

With the summer travel season upon us, and in the wake of the recent Disneyland Resort price increase that saw tickets climb as much as 20 percent, vacationers are understandably looking for ways to save on park admission. But before you snap up that discount ticket, be sure to read the fine print and check the expiration dates.

Many authorized ticket sellers, especially grocery stores in Southern California, receive their tickets from gift card marketing companies. It is the employees of these companies, and not your local grocery store, who are responsible for removing expired tickets from the displays. Readers have reported finding already-expired or soon-to-expire tickets on the racks, with one reader even finding annual pass vouchers with a 2011 expiration date at her store. There is still a valid SoCal Resident deal for 2- and 3-day tickets, but the offer ends this week and the tickets expire June 8. If you buy those tickets today expecting to use them later this year, you'll wind up paying the price difference when you get to Disneyland.

There are still ways to save on Disneyland tickets when purchasing through authorized travel agencies. This list on our MousePad discussion forum contains several ways you can buy tickets at the pre-increase prices. MousePlanet sponsor Get Away Today has tickets available at the old prices until June 10, and the tickets are valid for use through December 31, 2012.

Readers have posted other offers; just be sure to read any fine print and be wary of discounts that look too good to be true.

If you're planning a Southern California vacation, you may want to consider the 2012 City Pass. This pass includes a 3-Day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Bonus Ticket (including one early-entry day); one-day admission to either San Diego Zoo or San Diego Wild Animal Park; one-day admission to Sea World San Diego; and one-day admission to Universal Studios Hollywood. Priced at $279 for adults, $239 for kids, it's a bit more than a 3-day Disneyland Park Hopper ($250/$235), but you can visit three more theme parks in 14 days.

The City Pass is also an option for locals planning a "stay-cation" to consider, especially if you were looking at buying a Disneyland Resort annual pass. Adults can exchange their City Pass for a $214 credit towards a higher-priced ticket or annual pass, (ages 3-9 receive $198 credit), which means you can upgrade to a SoCal Select annual pass for under $60. You need to run the numbers to see if this makes sense for you (if you aren't heading to San Diego, the value drops considerably), but it's another option.

Disney Cruise Line is looking to spark added interest in their California Coastal cruises by announcing a new Pixar theme for the four fall sailings. These "Pixar-inspired" cruises will include presentations by Pixar animators, a gallery exhibit featuring the Art of Pixar, a Pixar Film Festival celebrating the 3D release of Finding Nemo, and new character appearances by Mr. Incredible, Remy, Woody, Jessie, Buzz Lightyear, and more.

The seven night cruises visit make an overnight call in San Francisco, then stop in San Diego and Ensenada, Mexico. The cruises sail Sept. 16, Sept. 23, Sept. 30 and Oct. 7. Prices start at $799 per person (inside stateroom, double occupancy).

The Pixar-themed sailings are Disney Cruise Line's latest attempt to boost interest in the Los Angeles-based sailings. The line also planned two round-trip Hawaii cruises, and introduced the California Coastal itinerary as an option for people reluctant to book a family vacation to Mexico. Earlier this year, the company announced that the Disney Wonder would relocate to Miami in December, sailing one seven-night Christmas Cruise and one six-night New Year's Eve cruise before settling into a series of four- and five-night cruises from Miami to the Bahamas and Western Caribbean. The Wonder will return to Los Angeles next May on the way to Alaska for the 2013 season, but Disney has not yet indicated if the ship will remain in Los Angeles after the Alaska season ends in September, or if the Wonder will head back to Florida.

In an ideal world, I would love to see Disney launch a series of 3- and 4-night cruises out of Los Angeles, even though that leaves only Ensenada as a port option. Seven days is a long commitment for families new to cruising, and shorter cruises make it easier for families to also visit Disneyland during their vacation. Though many cruise lines have recently pulled out of the Baja Mexico "booze cruise" market, Disney may find that their unique entertainment offerings may create a new opportunity for family-friendly Los Angeles cruises.

Team MousePlanet is back for our fifth year at the CHOC Walk in the Park, benefiting Children's Hospital Orange County. Thanks to the efforts and generosity of our readers, Team MousePlanet has raised over $27,000 for CHOC since 2008. The 2012 race is Sunday, October 14 at the Disneyland Resort.

The CHOC Walk is a 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) stroll through Disneyland and Disney California Adventure before the parks open for the day. The Walk is open to all ages, and children 2 and under are free. Walkers age 3 and older must raise a minimum of $50, and you earn prizes at every fundraising level. Raise at least $350 and receive a one-day Park Hopper ticket, a $125 value.

Team MousePlanet at the 2011 CHOC Walk. Photo by Mark Hahn.

One of the best things about walking with Team MousePlanet is that we handle check-in for our walkers! Instead of making you drive to Irvine the week before the race to collect your wristband and T-shirt, we do that for you. You only have to meet us in Downtown Disney the morning of the walk to collect your goodies, and then head right into Disneyland to start the walk. All eligible walkers will also receive a Team MousePlanet hat.

Registration is now open, and it costs nothing to sign up and start fundraising. Are you ready to CHOC Walk with Team MousePlanet? We hope to see you there!

In just a few weeks our regular Resort Construction feature becomes obsolete, as the years-long DCA expansion project comes to an end and we say goodbye to the maze of constructions walls filling both parks. Sure, there will still be construction and refurbishments—including the Fantasy Faire project in Disneyland—but I think everyone is happy to close this chapter in Disneyland Resort history.

See 20 months of Cars Land construction in a one-minute video. MousePlanet video by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

This week, we turn our attention to some of the grand openings and reopenings around the Resort. The newly remodeled Sunglass Icon shop has reopened in Downtown Disney, and the Uva Bar is tentatively scheduled to reopen early this week. La Brea Bakery has completed the final phase of their major renovation project, adding a new display kitchen and bakery and expanding the interiors space to accommodate larger lines. The cafe also upgraded its seating areas, adding more shade on the Express side, and a new awning and heat lamps to their outdoor table-service dining patio.

La Brea Bakery Cafe installed a new patio cover and heaters to make al fresco dining more comfortable. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

The Ghirardelli Soda Fountain began soft opening previews Friday morning, and employees say the location will be open 10:00 a.m. through park closing every day until its official grand opening and ice cream social on Thursday, June 7.

The new Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop is open for business. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

The soda fountain—the first Ghirardelli location inside a Disney theme park—offers a selection of ice cream, sundaes, shakes, coffee drinks, and baked goods made with Ghirardelli chocolate. A greeter just inside the door also offers samples of Ghirardelli's chocolate squares, a clever way to draw visitors inside to see all of the chocolate treats.

The marquee on the Carthay Circle theater building was updated last week with new signs advertising the Carthay Circle Restaurant; the message board was edited to read simply "Carthay Circle Premiere."

The Carthay Circle Theater has a new restaurant sign and marquee message. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

New light fixtures are visible in the Elias & Company Department Store building. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.

Disney has been replacing the billboards along the boardwalk leading into Paradise Pier, adding a new "Soar at the Shore" sign advertising the Silly Symphony Swings and Golden Zephyr last week.

In rebuilding DCA, Imagineers had to remove many of the icons from the park's opening years, including the oversized CALIFORNIA letters that stood outside the park's entrance. Last week, Disney announced that the CALIFORNIA letters have been donated to the Friends of the California State Fair, and will be installed outside the entrance to California Exposition & State Fair (Cal Expo) complex in Sacramento. The letters will be incorporated into a new entrance design for the Cal Expo complex, and should be in place by late September.

Disney also revealed where other DCA artifacts were donated, including the giant sun icon from the Sunshine Plaza (City of Anaheim), the giant toy train merchandise fixture from inside the former EnginEARS Toys store (Children’s Hospital of Orange County), and the neon postcard signs that decorated the Greetings from California store complex (several nonprofit organizations throughout Southern California). The next time you take a break on a park bench somewhere in Anaheim, take a closer look—that bench may have originated inside DCA.

...The Disney Gallery closes June 28 and 29 to install a new exhibit titled "Crowning Achievements: Creating Castles for Magical Kingdoms," featuring the art of Disney theme park castles around the world. The current exhibit, "A Grand Circle Tour of the Trains of Disney," closes June 27, with a new exhibit opening June 30 with a product release and artist signing event from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.; full details are now available on the Disney Gallery website.

...The Pixar Play Parade returned to Disney California Adventure for an unannounced performance last Friday afternoon. Cast members say that the new parade route, which runs between the Silly Symphony Swings and the Tower of Terror, is now the longest inside any Disney theme park, a record that will stand until the opening of the Shanghai park.

...The Wunderground Gallery is scheduled to open June 9 in Downtown Disney, and Disney has announced that Southern California artist Noah will be the first "Artist in Residence" at the new shop.

...If you'd like to get a preview of the newest Disney XD animated series, Downtown Disney is hosting the TRON: Uprising" truck now through June 7. Operating hours for the mobile, 90-seat movie theater vary, but the experience is free.

…The MousePlanet Newsletter is here! The newsletter contains a recap of the week's articles (in case you miss a day), news that may have developed since the weekly Updates were published, and tips about what's happening at the Disney theme parks for the coming weekend. We'll also include a fun MouseAdventure bonus, such as an Eye Spy or a trivia question. To subscribe to our free newsletter, go to the MousePlanet main page and enter your email address in the top right box labeled "Join the MousePlanet Newsletter." Click Join, then fill out the fields in the registration page, including your first and last name. The Newsletter is free, but you must complete this registration to receive it, even if you may have signed up for one with us in the past.

…Visitors planning trips to the Disneyland Resort should make a point to check the Current Refurbishment/Attraction Closures section each week for the most recent updates. The Disneyland Resort Web site currently only publishes refurbishment information about six weeks in advance. Be sure to check the most recent Park Update (link) for the latest changes, as MousePlanet does not edit past Park Updates to reflect changes.

Crowd information and forecasts are provided by TouringPlans.com, the website of the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland, to help you better plan your trip to the Disneyland Resort. TouringPlans.com gathers wait time data from a team of in-park researchers and users of their Lines mobile phone application, and then predicts crowd levels for the next 365 days. Using a scale from 1 to 10, TouringPlans.com has a 90 percent accuracy of predicting the crowds to within 1 point, helping visitors prepare for their trips so they can "Do more. Wait less."

Less than two weeks until the new Disney California Adventure draws anticipated record crowds to Disneyland Resort; make your visits now to avoid these crowds! TouringPlans.com can help you navigate the crowds with our per-park Crowd Calendar, Lines - Mobile Wait Times App that gives access to current and estimated wait times for attractions, and Touring Plans detailing the best plan of attack for hitting the attractions. With holiday crowds looming, it's a good time to subscribe to TouringPlans.com to plan your strategy to avoid the crowds!

Below are the predicted resort-wide crowd numbers for select days generated by the TouringPlans professional statisticians as measured for the upcoming week. For the access to the full year and per-park crowd level predictions, visit our Crowd Calendar.

Date

Overall

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

6 / 10

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

6 / 10

Thursday, June 7, 2012

6 / 10

Friday, June 8, 2012

6 / 10

Here are some quick-hit notes that we hope you'll find helpful as you prepare your visits for the week:

Come CHOC Walk with Team MousePlanet

Team MousePlanet is back for our fifth year at the CHOC Walk in the Park, benefiting Children's Hospital Orange County. Thanks to the efforts and generosity of our readers, Team MousePlanet has raised over $27,000 for CHOC since 2008. The 2012 race is Sunday, October 14 at the Disneyland Resort. Registration is now open—visit the CHOC website to join us! You can also visit our MousePad discussion forum for more information about the walk and our team.

Volunteer with Team MousePlanet at the Disneyland Half Marathon

Team MousePlanet is looking to form a group to volunteer during the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend, August 30 to September 2, 2012. Non-runners are welcome. Visit our MousePad discussion forum for additional information.

Note: Refurbishment schedules are estimates only. All information is subject to change without notice. To get the most recent updates, call Disneyland at (714) 781-7290.

Check here to see if a large convention, competition or park event might fall during your next trip to the Disneyland Resort. If you know of any in-park events, official or unofficial, that should be listed here, please send us an e-mail (link).

2012

Summer

Grad Nite events – the remaining parties for high school seniors graduating in 2012 are scheduled June 7, 8, 14. The 2012 event includes admission to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure during regular operating hours, and a private party in Disneyland after the park closes to the public for the night.

Cars Land media event – Thursday, June 14. Disney California Adventure will be closed all day for the media preview of Cars Land, but Disneyland and Downtown Disney will remain open.

Cars Land grand opening – Friday, June 15.

Paint the Way to Miracles & Magic – Saturday, June 23. During this annual fundraiser for Children's Hospital Orange County, 192 participants will help paint one of two tile murals that will be displayed in Downtown Disney for the year. Registration is $50 per child.

Destination D: 75 Years of Disney Animation – August 11 and 12. This D23 event returns to the Disneyland Resort in 2012. Additional details and registration information at www.Disney.com/D23.

5th Annual Taste of Downtown Disney – Thursday, August 16. This annual fundraiser for Children's Hospital Orange County includes appetizers and wine tasting at several participating Downtown Disney restaurants. Registration is not yet open, check back for additional details.

2012 Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend – August 31 – September 2. Event is now sold out.

Fall

CHOC Walk in the Park – Sunday October 14. The annual fundraiser for Children's Hospital Orange County takes place before park hours in Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. The Magic Morning normally scheduled for Sunday at Disneyland will likely be rescheduled to Monday, October 15, and Disneyland will likely open at 9 a.m. to accommodate the event. Team MousePlanet is back for our 5th year, and we welcome new members - visit the CHOC website to join us! You can also visit our MousePad discussion forum

Grad Nite events – this party for high school seniors graduating in 2013 will be held on 22 dates in 2013: May 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, 31
June 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21. The 2013 event includes admission to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure during regular operating hours, and a private party in Disneyland after the park closes to the public for the night.

We also recommend checking the convention calendar at the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau Web site (link). When looking at that site, remember to note both the number of people and the number of rooms resulting from each convention. A gathering of 25,000 people booking few room nights (indicating most will be driving in to the area for their meeting) can impact traffic around the Resort much more than a crowd of 25,000 staying in area hotels. Of course, that second group is going to make finding a hotel room more difficult (and possibly more expensive), so it's best to book your own room as early as possible if you see that a big convention is in town during your trip.

Disneyland prices as of May 20, 2012.

Several current promotions offer discounted admission to the Disneyland Resort. For your convenience, we have grouped the discount offers based on the number of days the tickets are valid. Check out the category that best matches the amount of time you plan to spend at the resort, and pick the offer that works best for you. And keep those tips coming—let us know if you find a better or different offer, so we can share it with other readers!

This first section is a list of discounts on ticket–only purchases. Though it has become more common in recent years, Disneyland tickets are rarely offered at deep discounts unless you are a resident of Southern California or Northern Mexico. For residents outside that area, the best discounts available tend to be simple advance purchase discounts.

If you know of any additional discounts, offers, promotions, or contests that should be listed in this section, drop us a line. Note, we are no longer listing offers from the Anaheim-Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, as their convenience fee negates any savings.

One Day, One Park Ticket – Regularly $87/$81

One Day Park Hopper – Regularly $125/$119

No discounts currently available to the general public.

Check with your employer, school or credit union to see if any discounts are available through them.

The SoCal Resident 2–Day 1–Park per Day ticket offers residents of Southern California and Northern Baja California admission to either Disneyland or Disney California Adventure on one day, and then a second visit to either park on another day on or before June 8, 2012.

You can use both days of this ticket at the same theme park, or visit one park one day and the other park on the second day, but you can not use it to enter both parks on the same day. The ticket is $99 for ages 3 and up. You can also upgrade the ticket to a park–hopper, which allows entry to both parks each day, for an additional $15, a savings of up to $86 compared to the box office price of a two–day park–hopper ticket.

You can either purchase tickets at the Disneyland Resort ticket booths, or online at Disneyland.com and print them at home. You can also purchase them at participating Disney Stores and authorized third party ticket outlets, including many local grocery stores. There is no "fuse" on this ticket, which means you can use the first admission today and wait until June to use the second admission. You must, however, purchase the ticket by June 1, 2012. Tickets expires June 8, 2012, and are blocked out March 30–April 15, and June 4 and 5, 2012.

While Disney states that proof of residency required for purchase and admission, MousePlanet readers who have purchased similar tickets from off–property retailers during past resident discount promotions consistently reported that they were not required to provide proof of residency at the time of purchase. However, be aware that Disneyland Resort Main Gate cast members can–and may–require proof of residency when you first use the tickets. Whether the residency checks occur is an oft–debated topic on our MousePad discussion boards, but it is your responsibility to know the official policy, regardless of what the park's actual practice may be.

Now for the official fine print:

• TICKET IS BLOCKED OUT March 30 to April 15, 2012 and June 4–5, 2012.
• Tickets valid only for Southern California residents within ZIP codes 90000–93599 and Northern Baja California residents within ZIP codes 21000–22999 and proof of residency is required for admission.
• Each ticket is valid for two (2) 1–Day, 1–Park admissions to either Disneyland® park or Disney California Adventure® park, but not to both parks on the same day.
• First use must occur on or before June 8, 2012. Tickets expire June 9, 2012.
• Ticket is not valid before January 4, 2012.
• Each day of use constitutes one full day of use.
• May purchase up to five (5) tickets per person per day with valid ID.
• Tickets may not be sold or transferred for commercial use. Offer may not be combined with other discounts or promotions. Subject to restrictions and change without notice.

Check with your employer, school or credit union to see if other discounts are available through them.

The SoCal Resident 3–Day 1–Park per Day ticket offers residents of Southern California and Northern Baja California admission to either Disneyland or Disney California Adventure on three separate days by June 8, 2012.

You can use both days of this ticket at the same theme park, or visit one park one day and the other park on the next day, but you can not use it to enter both parks on the same day. The ticket is $129 for ages 3 and up. You can also upgrade the ticket to a park–hopper, which allows entry to both parks each day, for an additional $15, a savings of up to $106 compared to the box office price of a three–day park–hopper ticket.

You can either purchase tickets at the Disneyland Resort ticket booths, or online at Disneyland.com and print them at home. You can also purchase them at participating Disney Stores and authorized third party ticket outlets, including many local grocery stores. There is no "fuse" on this ticket, which means you can use the first admission today and wait until June to use the remaining admissions. You must, however, purchase the ticket by June 1, 2012. Tickets expires June 8, 2012, and are blocked out March 30–April 15, and June 4 and 5, 2012.

While Disney states that proof of residency required for purchase and admission, MousePlanet readers who have purchased similar tickets from off–property retailers during past resident discount promotions consistently reported that they were not required to provide proof of residency at the time of purchase. However, be aware that Disneyland Resort Main Gate cast members can—and may—require proof of residency when you first use the tickets. Whether the residency checks occur is an oft–debated topic on our MousePad discussion boards, but it is your responsibility to know the official policy, regardless of what the park's actual practice may be.

Now for the official fine print:

• TICKET IS BLOCKED OUT March 30, 2012 – April 15, 2012 and June 4, 2012 – June 5, 2012.
• Tickets valid only for Southern California residents within ZIP codes 90000–93599 and Northern Baja California residents within ZIP codes 21000–22999 and proof of residency is required for admission.
• Each ticket is valid for two (3) 1–Day, 1–Park admissions to either Disneyland® park or Disney California Adventure® park, but not to both parks on the same day.
• First use must occur on or before June 8, 2012. Tickets expire June 9, 2012.
• Ticket is not valid before January 4, 2012.
• Each day of use constitutes one full day of use.
• May purchase up to five (5) tickets per person per day with valid ID.
• Tickets may not be sold or transferred for commercial use. Offer may not be combined with other discounts or promotions. Subject to restrictions and change without notice.

Disney Military Promotional 3–Day Park Hopper Ticket ($95) – A discounted price offered to active or retired U.S. military personnel or their spouses. Based on past offers, Disney defines "Eligible Service Members" as active or retired members of the US military, including active members of the National Guard or Reservists and active or retired members of the US Coast Guard. This discount is available at MWR/ITT offices at your military base, or at the Disneyland Resort ticket booths. Valid military ID is required. The price is the same for adults and children, and total of six tickets may be purchased per military member, regardless of who purchases the tickets (the member or their spouse). Tickets must be purchased by Sept 30, 2012. The ticket has the following blockout dates: December 24, 2011 to January 2, 2012; February 17 to 19, 2012; April 2 to 14, 2012; July 4, 2012.

As far as we can tell, there is no "fuse" on this ticket, so you may have more than the standard 13 days from first use to use the remaining two admissions, but we highly recommend you contact your base MWR/ITT office for more details before making travel plans. Please note that this ticket is not a "bonus" ticket, and so does not include an early admission day.

Check with your employer, school or credit union to see if other discounts are available through them.

Four Day, One Park per Day Ticket – Regularly $245/$225

Four Day Park Hopper – Regularly $275/$255

No discounts currently available to the general public.

Check with your employer, school or credit union to see if any discounts are available through them.

Five Day, One Park per Day Ticket – Regularly $260/$240

Five Day Park Hopper – Regularly $290/$270

No discounts currently available to the general public.

Check with your employer, school or credit union to see if any discounts are available through them.

12

Six Day, One Park per Day Ticket

Six Day Park Hopper

No longer offered by Disneyland. Some travel providers may offer 6-day or longer tickets to international customers as part of a package; residents of Canada, Australia or the UK should check with local travel agencies to see what options may be available to you.

Disneyland Resort Annual Passports

No discounts currently available for new purchases. California residents can take advantage of the monthly–payment plan when purchasing any but the Premier Annual Passport.

Check with your employer, school or credit union to see if other discounts are available through them.

Southern California CityPass
$279/$239

2012 Southern California CityPass ($279/$239) – This pass includes a 3–Day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper Bonus Ticket (including one early–entry day), a one–day admission to either San Diego Zoo or San Diego Wild Animal Park, as well as one–day admission to Sea World San Diego and Universal Studios Hollywood. The CityPass expires 14 days after first use at any location, and the first use must occur by January 3, 2011. Purchase CityPass through the Disneyland Website or on–site at the ticket booths of Disneyland Resort or the other theme parks included in the pass. You can also purchase directly from the CityPass Website if you're willing to pay the shipping charge.

Check with your employer, school or credit union to see if other discounts are available through them.

Hotel/Travel Packages

Costco Travel Packages – Many different travel packages including visits to Disneyland and Disneyland hotels are available through Costco. When purchasing a Costco Disneyland travel package, extras that will be included are: Mickey's Toontown Madness admission (currently available Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays, and Saturdays), a character breakfast collectible pin and lanyard, and a Costco luggage tag per person, plus a $20 Disneyland Resort gift card per package.

Disney's Resort Magic and Good Neighbor Magic Packages – Package includes accommodations one of the three resort hotels or at one of 40 Good Neighbor hotels; Souvenir Park Hopper ticket with voucher for admission to Mickey's Toontown Morning Madness, plus one Magic Morning (early entry) for three–day or longer Park Hoppers; preferred seating at three DCA attractions (Disney's Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular, Muppet*Vision 3D, It's Tough to be a Bug!); Preferred Showing of Turtle Talk with Crush (Priority Viewing at the first Turtle Talk with Crush show of the day, on any one day – one voucher per Guest); Disney Dream coin keepsake (one per package), luggage tag and lanyard with pin; a Downtown Disney Fun Card; and a "Character Call" from Mickey, Minnie, Goofy or Crush. Contact Disney Travel or your favorite travel agent.

Contact a MousePlanet sponsor travel agency for assistance in booking your next trip

Character Dining Vouchers – Discounted character dining vouchers are available for purchase online, in advance of your trip, through Get Away Travel.

Disney Visa – Cardholders have access to a private Character Meet 'N' Greet photo opportunity at Disney California Adventure, and receive one free 5x7 photograph per visit. Cardholders also receive 10% off qualifying merchandise purchases of $50 or more from Disney–operated retail stores, 10% off at selected Disneyland Resort restaurants, (Big Thunder Ranch, River Belle Terrace, French Market, Cocina Cucamonga, Steakhouse 55, PCH Grill and Storyteller's Café), and 20% off the "Welcome to Disneyland," "A Walk in Walt’s Footsteps," and "Discover the Magic" guided tours. See the Disney Visa website for terms and conditions.

Landry's Select Club – Members of the Landry's Select Club get priority seating at the Rainforest Cafe when available (which makes a huge difference on busy days), and a 10% discount on retail purchases. This club replaces the former Rainforest Cafe Safari Club as of March 31, 2012. If you are already a Safari Club member, you can migrate your membership to the new Landry's Select Club at no charge, and start to earn points in the new program. All Safari Club points and benefits expire on March 31, so if you have any gift certificates left to redeem, you have just a week to do so. The new Select Club eliminated the entree discount and free appetizer offer that was included with the Safari Club, replacing them with a point–based system that gives you a $25 gift certificate after you spend $250. If you are not yet a member of either the Safari Club or the Landry's Select Club, you can pre–purchase your membership before your trip. Membership now costs $25, but comes with a $25 reward.

ESPNZone MVP Club – Membership in the MVP Club does not offer any discounts on food. However, once a member you can make an online reservation for your party up to three days in advance and will get a 25% increase in points purchased when playing games in the Sports Arena (and 40 bonus points at activation). You must register online and your membership card will then be mailed to you within two weeks. The card must then be activated at any ESPNZone by the person who signed up for the card and ID will be required (link).

Visit our Annual Passholders Blockout Dates page to see more dates. You can see future calendar schedules at Disneyland. As always, specifics are subject to change without notice (or occasionally, without us noticing) so when information conflicts between what is presented here and that presented by Disney, it is best to assume Disney's information is correct.

Comments

By schnebs on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 14:02:47 -0700

The whole thing strikes me as a classic example of the law of unintended consequences, and of a failure to communicate between various components at Disney and between Disney and the public. I'm sure they didn't intend it that way, but the combination of the price increase, the e-mail notifications, and the promotion of the paid events made it look like Disney was being extraordinarily greedy. Kudos to MP to explaining that (a) there was no way Disney could meet the demand for entry to the previews and (b) explaining that the paid previews weren't a money grab. Disney could have prevented a lot of ill will by doing a better job of communicating - and not hiking the prices so much in one shot probably wouldn't have hurt, either.

By JoeD1979 on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:26:53 -0700

Experienced Ghirardelli on Sunday. Great service, but expensive. (I don't know why I was surprised) $9 for a butterscotch sundae. It was delicious however, so that sort of made up for the cost.

The biggest issue I see is that there is only 1 small area for napkins, straws, and spoons. I had to wait in line to order, wait in line to pick it up, THEN wait it line just to get a spoon. That is terrible design, and they need to add 1 or 2 more areas ASAP.

By wendygirl on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 16:12:36 -0700

I didn't even know there were four cruises on the West Coast until the Disney Blog on Facebook posted about the Pixar theme. Because I am retiring in two weeks, I thought this would be a good trip to take - no plane rides, port is close to home and I finally get to go on a Disney cruise. So I'm booked for the second cruise. I think maybe Disney needs to do a better job of promoting the cruises in Southern California.

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MousePlanet is not associated in any official way with the Walt Disney Company, its subsidiaries. or its affiliates. The official Disney site is available at www.disney.com. This MousePlanet Web site provides independent news articles, commentary, editorials, reviews. and guides about the Walt Disney Co. All information on this site is subject to change. Please contact destinations in advance to confirm the most up-to-date information.